"That [an attacking style] is the way I like my teams to play," the Portuguese told reporters.

"We obviously know that it is extremely difficult there, but that doesn't mean that you might not be given a chance when you play that way.

"In the end it's about taking your opportunities. Had [Chelsea] scored then maybe the result would have been different, so to try to get a result against United will be excellent for us."

Villas-Boas has embarked on a six-match unbeaten run with Spurs after suffering an opening-day defeat against Newcastle and hopes that a victory over the Red Devils may prove even more valuable given that top-four rivals Arsenal and Chelsea are set to meet earlier in the day.

"It would make us very proud to go there and get a win that would shorten the distance to the top," he continued.

"That would hopefully help us profit in some way from the clash between Arsenal and Chelsea.

"We can't run away from our responsibilities. The statistics are there. We hope to break them one day and hopefully it will be on Saturday."